Budging on price

Things are looking a little different around Budge Brothers these days.

The traditional homemade Tillamook browned-butter popcorn has turned into caramel corn this week. Plans are afoot to start serving beer in actual glasses, as opposed to the plastic cups the brewery has used since its inception in 2011.

And the growler prices, already among the best in town, have dropped even further – to $6 for the regular lineup ($8 for the Hop Train double IPA), down from the previous $8/$10.

That’s intended to boost takeout sales after the loss of the Party Pig mini-kegs, which were popular with customers but too expensive for the manufacturer to keep producing profitably, says co-owner Brad Budge.

Selected styles still are available in growlers for $5 on Wednesdays. And there’s a new Budge Brotherhood club which gets you $5 fills anytime along with $3 pints (compared to the regular $4) for an annual fee of $80.

The typically low-key operation also is abandoning its on-again, off-again distribution efforts and focusing entirely on the homey taproom, including occasional 12-gallon small-batch releases (which aren’t advertised because the regulars suck them down so fast). Next up in a couple of weeks will be a session IPA.

“Our goals have changed,” Brad Budge says. “The whole idea now is to have more fun with it, spice things up and have more variety in the taproom.”

And mark your calendar for this summer’s Budgefest on Aug. 22, which also will have a new look including a barbecue.